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Monthly Archives: April 2015

About a year ago I fell in love with these glass jewelry holders I found at West Elm. They no longer carry them but similar ones can be found here. They were on the pricey side, upwards of $150 and I just couldn’t see them being worth that. My friend Lindsay was shopping at a thrift store near the beach and found this almost identical one for only $21! Shadowboxes are a great way to highlight your favorite pieces, simply.

(I place my most frequently worn earrings on the top)

(Kate Spade earrings sit at the top)

(I found this great necklace holder at the DeYoung Museum this weekend that compliments the glass holder)

(I rarely see holders with 4 spokes at the top)

(Some fun DIY projects can be found on Pinterest too)

How do you hang or present your jewelry? Boxes seem so outdated, it’s nice let those sparkly treasures breathe!

Last weekend I needed to find a breakfast recipe that could supply enough tastiness for at least 11 people and I discovered a gem! I should tell you the majority of it needs to be prepared the night before, but the morning of your breakfast all you’ll need to do is pop it in the oven which is a plus!

(Pour that mixture over the breadcrumbs and sprinkle more blueberries on top. Cover with foil and let that sit over night.)

(The next morning bake the french toast at 375 degress with the foil ON for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 30 additional minutes)

(Serve with either maple syrup or a blueberry simple syrup which can be made easily as well)

Looking back on it, I would have added a touch more cinnamon and nutmeg for a little extra kick. If you are looking for something that will go over well for a large group, this is a great recipe to try!

Over the weekend, it was such a pleasure to get up to Sonoma to see a long time friend marry her life partner in crime at the beautiful Buena Vista winery. The wedding was incredible and the two of them are the best match love could make. They brought together such an amazing group of people to celebrate their love and it was so great getting to meet everyone and spend more time with the ones we already knew. Spending some time in Sonoma was also quite lovely. I’d never spent time in downtown Sonoma so we stayed right on the square which was very convenient.

We stayed at the Swiss Hotel which was a 5 room bed and breakfast style hotel. It was fun when we realized the other 4x rooms were rented to people in the wedding so we had so much fun having coffee and chatting with them on the balcony the morning after the wedding.

The sunflower cafe was adorable and where everyone had a delicious brunch. They also have the most beautiful garden out back where you can eat.

There was a little old historic town are right near our hotel.

An old carriage house.

Rob in front of the old dinner hall.

The rose gardens were some of my favorite colored roses I’ve ever seen.

While I was at the outlets the other weekend with my mom for the first time, I found a ton of nice clothing for work. I’m always looking for ways to up my work wardrobe as I feel I grow out of past styles and sizes. This wrap dress is easy and I love the pattern.

I paired the dress with a simple necklace from local designer, Kristen Michael.

I am not big into anything too flashy, so I like that the logo is hidden in the small gold detailing.

The synched belt at the waist is shape flattering.

Depending on weather, you can go bare legged or throw some leggings on.

I love colors so it’s no surprise I gravitate towards floral patterns. I’d been looking for some fun shorts that I could wear for all different occasions and luckily for me, pretty much every store has some variety of them it’s just more about finding the style that fits you best.

I’ve always wanted to ride a bike across the Golden Gate Bridge, so when I realized a handful of my other friends had the same desire we pulled a group together and rented some bikes for a self guided tour of the North Bay. We rented our bikes from Sports Basement in the Presidio since it’s the closest to the bridge. You can also rent at Pier 39 if you’d like.

Of course we stopped to take a few photos 🙂 This is the full biker gang.

Girls of the biker gang.

After riding over the bridge, we made our first stop in Sausalito at Bar Bocce for some snacks and an ice cold beer.

Camping out on the water.

Sheena at Bar Bocce!

We made it to stop number 1!

After some rest and snacks, we hopped back on the bikes to head to Tiburon.

The bike paths are beautiful in the north bay!

Just riding through.

We cruised around Tiburon for a while before catching the very windy Ferry back to the city (Pier 39).

The sun was starting to set as we took the ferry back to the city and it was gorgeous.

Riding bikes through the pier was fun to check out the performances. This guy and all of his sound inventions were awesome!

Riding along the bike path back to Sports Basement was beautiful. We rented the bikes for the day so we just needed to make sure we returned them before they closed.

The total loop was about 17-20 miles. There were some little hills and that not so little hill up to get on the bridge but every hill rewarded us with a spectacular view of some kind.

We felt pretty accomplished after our ride so we stopped for a sunset jumping photo :).

This is a great, active and outdoorsy thing to do on a perfect weather day in San Francisco!

I recently went to the Livermore Outlets for the first time with my mom in search of a few new pieces to lift my closet so I could purge some of the old. In my quest to find a perfect fit for a few weddings I will be attending coming up, I found this perfect dress from Greylin. It’s comfortable, cute, and formal enough to wear to nice evening events.

It has a cute high V back cut.

Sequins everywhere.

I paired it with this black sequined clutch that was a Kate Spade score in the clearance section.

In case you didn’t know, Chelsea and I are MAJOR Florence and the Machine fans. I mean major. We have followed her musical career and tours for years. When we heard about two last minute pop up shows happening in San Francisco, we were waiting by our computers and counting down the minutes until they went on sale so we could make sure we were there on opening night at the Masonic (literally, I watched the clock countdown). When Florence was announced to play Coachella this year, we knew a new album was on the brink and we were overjoyed. So with further adieu, here’s our review of her first show on her new album tour (Weds April 8th, 2015)!

We gathered all our other ride or dies for Flo’ (Tim and Lindsay), and headed to the Masonic early. With no opener and the show said to start @ 8pm sharp, we were not messin’ around.

This was actually my first time at the Masonic and it was perfectly cozy with the floor open for standing and the balcony with seats.

We got some great row 2 seats close to the side of the stage. Tim and Lindsay were on the floor.

Flo came out around 8:30p in this awesome velour suit and we were a bit puzzled at this point because she usually wears elaborate gowns but we weren’t going to judge, she can do no wrong. She opened with a powerful What the Water Gave Me and commanded the stage and the audience as hers.

She started calm at the mic and then ramped up by running and dancing on each side of the stage and grabbing people’s hands and singing straight to fans in the first few rows.

She quickly shed her jacket to reveal this beautifully large bell flow sleeved white see through blouse which she elegantly swung around with her tunes. She went back and forth between old and new songs. With every new song, she explained where the song came from and the meaning behind them which I loved.

Her energy all night was high and she absolutely killed it. When she played Dog Days, she had the entire audience shed some clothes and embrace each other. She even ended up with a bra onstage. She also took everyone’s gifts that they brought for her and read them, shared them with the audience and personally thanked everyone for the gift.

If you want to get up close and personal with Florence, get in the front row at one of her shows and she will connect with you.

Her voice sounds better in person every time. She played How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, St. Jude, What Kind of Man, Ship to Wreck, and a few others from the new album along with classics like No Light, No Light and Shake It Out.

I had chills throughout the entire night her show was so magnificent and I knew ahead of time how great she was. She’s a timeless act that’s only progressed and improved. If you want to catch a show of a lifetime from a beautifully voiced soul, get to a Florence and Machine show!

OK so our beaches in Northern California might not always be bikini temperature but after our hike through Muir Woods, we were excited to get down to the ocean and chill out a little bit. Not to mention, the good snacks they have right on the beach. Sheena got the brown sugar banana ice cream, Arel tried to soft serve, Rob grabbed a coffee, and I went for a hot latte. They have something for everyone!

I am so elated to have Sheena back!

She’s so light I was running all over the beach with her haha!

We had a thing for piggy back photos I guess!

Views and views and views.

What would a trip to Stinson be without stopping along the infamous Hwy 1 for some fun jumping photos? 🙂